Chinese Orange Chicken made with crispy fried chicken covered in an authentic orange sauce. The ultimate Chinese Orange Chicken Recipe which is way better than take-out.
My kids are always begging me to take them to grab Chinese food. They are obsessed with orange chicken but I am never really sure what's in it....especially if they get it from a drive-thru. I wanted to create a version at home, made from scratch, with all-natural ingredients. It still has the same incredible flavor they love. It's definitely a win-win in our home.
It is wintertime in Arizona which means that the citrus is ripe for the picking. I am surrounded by neighbors who have a plethora of fresh oranges and lemons hanging from their trees. This is the perfect time of year to whip up orange and lemon dishes especially this Chinese Orange Chicken.
This Chinese Orange Chicken is made with boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces, dredged, and then fried until golden and crispy. The orange sauce is divine! It is a sweet orange sauce made with orange juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, red chili flakes, and orange zest. It is both sweet and spicy and full of flavor.
How to make Chinese Orange Chicken at home:
- Start with boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. Cut into bite-size pieces. Dredge the chicken in whisked eggs and cornstarch/flour mixture until nice and coated. Get these chicken pieces ready for the oil.
- To make your homemade orange sauce, place orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Add cornstarch and water and cook until thickened. Stir in orange zest.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When frying foods, it is so helpful to use a thermometer. Let the oil heat up to 350 degrees. Once the oil is ready, in batches, cook chicken for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Toss fried chicken with the sweet orange sauce. Top with grated orange zest and green onions. Serve immediately.
Chinese Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 3 Eggs whisked
- ⅓ cup Cornstarch
- ⅓ cup Flour
- Salt
- Oil for frying
Orange Chicken Sauce:
- 1 cup Orange Juice
- ½ cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar or White Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce use tamari for a gluten-free dish
- ¼ teaspoon Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- Orange Zest from 1 orange
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Garnish:
- Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Instructions
- To make orange sauce:
- In a medium pot, add orange juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes. Heat for 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 Tablespoons of water to form a paste. Add to orange sauce and whisk together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken. Once the sauce is thickened, remove from heat and add orange zest.
- To make chicken:
- Place flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish or pie plate. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
- Whisk eggs in shallow dish.
- Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture and then flour mixture. Place on plate.
- Heat 2 -3 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Using a thermometer, watch for it to reach 350 degrees.
- Working in batches, cook several chicken pieces at a time. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, turning often until golden brown. Place chicken on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat.
- Toss chicken with orange sauce. You may reserve some of the sauce to place on rice. Serve it with a sprinkling of green onion and orange zest, if so desired.
Video
This Orange Chicken is going to make you forget take-out. Let me know how it turns out by reaching out on instagram at @modern_honey. Have a great night, my friends!
Amy Bosserman
I used ginger and garlic paste instead of dried, fresh is ALWYAS better. I increased the sauce by 50% as well. Fresh squeezed orange juice for half the orange juice, this is a keeper!
Donba
Was great not very complexed. But would like it a little more crisper, great sauce.
Leah
I would recommend marinating the chicken pieces in 2 egg whites with 2 TBSP of low sodium soy sauce and 1 TBSP of rice vinegar. I only marinate for like 15 minutes, but you can do longer. Then, place the pieces (10 at a time) in cornstarch flavored with salt and pepper at the least (I put a bit of garlic, onion, and ginger powder). Cook the pieces together in peanut oil until golden brown and you'll definitely have your crunch 🙂
Tyler Ayers
Outstanding!
We have some food intolerances so we substituted:
sugar for honey
soy sauce for coconut aminos
corn starch for arrowroot flour
Kept everything else the same and this is the best orange chicken we've ever had. Thank you so much!
Lis
My husband says it’s the best recipe ever, and I proudly take it from a super picky eater. Super easy and tasty recipe. Love the fact that I can adjust the heat
Keith
oops, forgot the rating. This is it
Keith
Substitute tapioca flower for cornstarch to make a shiny glaze and to the dredge also. Crispier. This is the best recipe I've had all month.
Leah
My husband is so obsessed with this recipe! Even my picky son likes it! I double the recipe & add 2 tsp of sesame oil. Amazing 😍
Yudaimi
Very delicious ! I used fresh ginger and garlic. I also made it with cassava flour for a GF option.
Ryan
Outstanding!
I cheated by using fried chicken tenders from the deli. Chopped them up and tossed them in the sauce and put them on top of a bed of rice and a side of mixed veggies. Easy!
jake
delicious
Robert E Prince
This looks like a good recipe and I will make it, but...
No Chinese chef would use powdered ginger. It is not at all like fresh ginger. Ditto on the garlic.
And this is not gluten-free even if you use tamari (which makes it definitely inauthentic), because there is flour in the recipe. There are gluten-free flours and while it will be a bit different, if you have celiac, it's your only option.
Even though I haven't made it yet, I'm giving it 5 stars anyway, as having been a trained classic Chinese chef for 40 years, I know that with the adjustments mentioned, it will be a fine dish.
hi
bruh
Laurie Baker
I've been looking for better Chinese Orange Chicken recipes, Would it taste better if honey was added?
Me
The sauce was great. The texture of the chicken and the light breading on the chicken were great. However, after following a recipe once, I then like to figure out what I can do to make it better. The chicken was pretty flavorless to be honest. Obviously I figured but like I said, I always follow the recipe the first time around. I'll leave the sauce alone but next time I will definitely add seasoning to the chicken before breading it and then add a little seasoning to the flour/corn starch mix itself.
Once you got midway through the bite, the sauce was gone and you're left with flavorless chicken in your mouth. I really think that's what it was missing for me and with that added, it'll be 5 stars.
Ron B.
Nope! Made it for the first time tonight. Plenty sweet with the recipe.
Beverly Wolsey
Tried this receipe and it was good. I used fresh garlic and doubled the receipe. It still turned out fantastic!
Jake
Honey is a good idea!!!
Hanna S
Delicious! I used fresh ginger and fresh garlic.
Sharlette
Oh my goodness delicious! easy!
JD
Fantastic!! Thank you.